On 28 May 2014, the German ESA astronaut Dr. Alexander Gerst will take off from the cosmodrome in Baikonur/Kazakhstan, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). During the six-month
"Blue Dot" mission he will carry out about 40 experiments. These will include the "Spacetex" project, the first clothing physiology experiments to be carried out in a weightless environment. It is hoped that the "Spacetex" project will shed new light on the interaction between body, clothing and climate.Among other things, the lack of gravity affects the way body heat and sweat are transported through clothing that is worn next to the skin. To ensure that the body's cooling mechanism is still properly maintained, textiles have to be specially adapted for use in space.